What Sinofsky's Departure Means for Microsoft

11/13/2012 12:10AM

After spearheading the development of two versions of Microsoft Windows, including last month's launch of Windows 8, Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows division, steps down. The WSJ's Shira Ovide has the latest.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... the the ... Microsoft announces its president Steve Sinofsky is leaving the company acted immediately I'd ever con you watching Asia Today joining me now reporter share out of the day in sentences go ... again she I guess the question on everyone's mind that Micra soft just recently launched a weed is eight ... weeks then off he was responsible for ... dozens departure have anything to do with Windows eight ... it's a good question I wish I had a good answer of all we know tonight is as you said Stephen Sohn skeet ... who was the president of the Windows division and ... spearheaded this launch of Windows eight ... he's leaving I've seen someone from polarizing figure inside Micra soft ... and it contributed to his departure ... and obviously this the big prom for Micra soft ... he managed for shut the door so maybe now's the time ... for fresh blood that ... the cayenne is there any word at MS acts high-end as to who may be his successor ... leave my croissant said the two executives who worked under Stephen Sohn ski in the Windows group's they are effectively replacing him out one is a woman into lush green ... an engineer followed him up from the Mike soft office division and also in Windows ... the second person is taking over the business side functions that Windows ... going into any rally or is it a IIa ... the chief financial officer and chief marketing officer of the Windows division side box office ... the cayenne in a cameo in wonder about the invocation although everyone and no one really knows at this point I'm why exactly he's leaving the company that ... oh what about the future I mean looking for an intended mean really take this as a as ... I mean you would think Micra soft wouldn't want to nominate the person to launch its major project to carry it into the in the future ... to leave just because that would be seen as a really bad sign for the market ... that's really not talk to some people this evening it were I in the US who said that ... the timing is very strange and that they expect the market reaction will be entirely positive again as he said ... given the sudden departure just on the cusp of the launch its products ... in Windows eight has been ... received I would say ... next on some people gave types of credit for ... reinventing Windows given you a different way ... other people said that it was a little bit too new and a lil bit to get friends ... I hadn't seen sales yet so we don't really know ... what my croissant knows which is how the early perception it's been on a cash register ... I can share at what could this possibly mean or credit have any impact at all on companies like Nokia ... who are really depending on the weed is eight to launch its new smartphones ... he ... the question I don't think it has many implications for the smartphone market is he said ... Nokia and other hardware allies are launching new Windows smartphones ... basically as we speak ... in terms of the PC hardware makers like Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard and Dell ... it could have implications for them obviously to Micra soft is their most important ally ... but I think it's ... just too early to say how this impacts them ... occasionally a big surprise that everyone that the reason is that his departure ... they came in here at pretending as has happened to them ... for more on that staring you can get to Des beest dot